Train Your Dog Month - Finding a Dog Trainer

Finding a dog trainer can be a daunting task.  These days there are so many dog trainers (especially in large metropolitan areas) and there are several different training styles or philosophies.  To help promote Train Your Dog Month, here are some tips and questions to ask:

1) What is the trainer’s training philosophy? Are the methods based on positive reinforcement (e.g. lure-reward training or clicker training) or are they more compulsion-based (using collar corrections or other physical prompts)? Most modern dog trainers use methods primarily based on positive reinforcement and it is the method that the Association of Pet Dog Trainers and the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior advocate as a first-line approach. Avoid trainers who use harsh physical corrections such as leash popping/jerking, pinning the dogs to the ground or hanging the dog by the leash. With young puppies you especially want to make sure that the methods used are gentle and non-coercive because this is a formative period for a puppy.  If the person you are interviewing is evasive or overly vague about the techniques they use, move on.

2)  What Kind of Equipment Does the Trainer Use? Most positive reinforcement based trainers use plain buckle/clasp collars, harnesses like the Easy Walk™ or Freedom Harness™ or in some cases head harnesses like the Gentle Leader™ or Halti™.  They do not use slip chains (choke collars), prong collars or shock collars.  For a review of harnesses and collars see my blog at:  http://pawsitivefeedback.blogspot.com/2009/06/harnesses-martingales-gentle-leaders-oh.html

3) Is the trainer certified? There are a few certification organizations out there that try to standardize the level of education and experience a trainer should have. One such organization is the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers (http://www.ccpdt.org/). The CCPDT, for example, requires that the applicant have completed a certain number of hours as a head dog trainer and successfully pass an exam that tests the trainer's knowledge of learning theory, animal husbandry, ethology, the use of equipment and instruction skills.    Many of these organizations also require continuing education to ensure that its members keep up with current trends and developments in dog behavior and training. 


4) Experience and Continuing Education - You also want to find out how they received their education and training. Did they apprentice with a dog trainer? How many years have they been training dogs? Does the trainer belong to a professional organization that requires continuing education? A few examples of such organizations are: APDT, IAABC, NADOI and the CCPDT. While it may be impressive that a person has had 30

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